Gang Members Love to Pose
Goths, bikers, punkers, ravers, metalheads & bodybuilders
People who stand around in public looking outlandish or intimidating make great models.
Two Young Gang Members, pencil and white gouache on brown paper.
In my experience they’re keenly aware of the effect their appearance has on ordinary, mundane people. They know it’s a costume, either temporary or permanent (as in the case of body modifications).
So when an artist approaches them and asks to sketch them, they’re usually glad to cooperate, because they appreciate the attention.
Sketching Two Young Gang Members on YouTube.
In 1981 on the Santa Monica pier I met a couple of home boys named Micho and Froggie. I asked them to take turns posing for a portrait. They showed me how they wanted to present themselves. Micho said “Draw me like a gangster.”
I also brought a tape recorder so that I could record their voices. I always like to get the voice of the person I sketch commenting on the final sketch.
This sketch is included in the newly expanded and remastered edition of “The Artist’s Guide to Sketching”, available in the USA from my web store.
What cool perspective and one we don’t get to see often in sketches.
The sketch better be good! And the artist needs to work fast and exude confidence, because these subjects may not be very patient. I can't help but think that only an artist as talented as you could try this and live to tell about it.